Hide and Geek

The more astute of you may have noticed that the regular Top 10 feature has been absent for the last few weeks. Upsetting as it may be, this feature will no longer be gracing the site every week, however we’ll make the odd exception every now and again, for special occasions. Like today.

Consider this as a Game of the Year shortlist, an early glimpse at Hide and Geek’s favourite games of the year. Just so we’re all clear here, the list that follows is in no particular order. This is a shortlist, and not ranked in any shape or form.

1. Grand Theft Auto IV

Seems like a lifetime ago that GTAIV hit the shelves, resulting in one of the most high profile launches in gaming history. In fact it was this year, and still remains a strong contender for the Game of the Year crown. GTAIV was everything fans hoped for and more, a game of epic size and scale. The game follows the life of Eastern-European immigrant Nico Bellic and his pursuit of the American Dream. GTAIV introduced a new gritty realism to the series, and yet still managed to retain the classic GTA formula.

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The more observant of our readers may have noticed that Hide and Geek’s Top 10 has had a week off. We understand this may have been distressing for our regular readers, so we would like to issue a formal apology. Don’t fear though, it’s Monday and we’re back, ranking gaming phenomons for your entertainmet. This week, we take a look at a common gaming commodity - Powerups.

10. Icarus Wings (God of War 2)

Man has always dreamed of flight. The ability to soar through the air without restriction or boundaries. It’s no surprise then that the ability to fly has frequently featured as a power up throughout gaming history. In God of War 2, Kratos acquires the wings of Icarus, allowing him to fly for short periods of time.

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Licensed games are usually met with a certain degree of scepticism. And rightly so. More than often they’re churned out after a ridiculously short time in development, in order to coincide with a film release. However, there are always exceptions to a rule and this week, Hide and Geek sorts through the riff-raff and presents the 10 greatest licensed games of all time.

10. The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (PS2)

The first Hulk game, based on the movie, was what can only be described as an abomination. Radical Entertainment picked up the license for The Incredible Hulk a few years later and managed to create a game of a much higher quality. The new free-roaming game dispensed of all the Bruce banner story related nonsense, in favour of pure destruction, Hulk style.

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Somehow, not only did Hide and Geek manage to survive the endless thrills of yet another Monday, but we also dragged ourselves away from some dangerously addictive games in order to tell you about our favourite ones.

10. Mario 64

Super Mario 64 offered bite-sized adventures, perfectly tuned to make you get ‘just one more star’, and the world in which these took place was simply breathtaking. Just another race with the penguin, one last footrace with Koopa the quick, and 120 stars later, you wonder where all the time went.

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Boss battles are a staple ingredient in the recipe of game design. They’re a gaming phenomenon gamers have become all too familiar with over the years. Some bosses will have players throwing their controller at the wall in frustration. Some will be emotionally significant to the story. And some will be, well just weird. In this weeks Top 10, Hide and Geek complies a run down of the best boss battles video games have to offer.

10. Pigsy (Manhunt)

Beneath the blood, violence and media portrayal of Rockstar’s Manhunt, was actually a very accomplished stealth game. Dripping with atmosphere and tension, the game featured several incredibly entertaining bosses. In possibly the most disturbing and tense boss battles of all time, Manhunt protagonist James Earl Cash is pitted against a pig. A pig with a chainsaw no less.

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Mondays. Everybody hates them. The start of the new week means you have yet another 5 tedious days to get through until you can once again spend the day sitting around in your underwear, playing games and generally slobbing out. Well, we here at Hide And Geek think we’ve found two possible solutions to this age old problem. The first solution is that every Monday we bring you our Top 10 feature to brighten your day.

The other solution is guns… lots of guns.

In a moment of creative thinking, this week we decided to combine the two…

10. Silverballers (Hitman).

The aim of a Hitman game, is to play through the level being as quiet and elusive as possible. Unfortunately this often goes wrong, thankfully you always have your dual Ballers handy to vent some frustration by blasting dudes accross the room with rage before reloading your last save point.

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This week, Hide and Geek’s top 10 takes the form of a sightseeing list. So grab a camera and join us on a grand tour of the seven wonders of the gaming world…

7. Green Hill Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Famous throughout all of Mobius, the Green Hill Zone is known for it’s palm trees, loop de loops and most importantly, incredible shades of green. If you’re after relaxing views with acres of unspoilt greenery, look no further than the Green Hill Zone. Keep your eyes open for flashes of blue, you may just catch a glimpse of a certain rare species of hedgehog!

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It’s Monday! Time for another HnG Top 10. This week we look at our favourite box arts and pretend we know something about artistic design by trying to explain our choices.

10. Left 4 Dead

Unlike Valve’s 2007 superhit compilation, the Orange Box, Left 4 Dead’s colour is green as opposed to, yes, orange. Both equally vulgar colours, but this time they managed to incorporate some artistic competency as well as a zombirifically good joke. Though it has put me off my dinner somewhat…

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Heroes are rarely left to fight evil all on their lonesome. Where would Batman be without Robin? Han Solo without Chewbacca? Frodo without Sam? Film heroes are more often than not backed up by a faithful sidekick. The same can now be said with games. In some cases they act as a source of comedy to contrast the main character. However, sidekicks are not just used for narrative purposes, they are also often a crucial gameplay mechanic, used for supplying the player with help and advice.

Every Monday, Hide and Geek will compile a Top 10 of the finest <insert gaming related noun> the world of games has to offer. Things kick off with the Top 10 gaming sidekicks.

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